Ahead of the first Manchester derby last season there was only one topic to dominate the build-up. Or to be more specific, one person.
The same can be said of the build-up to Sunday's clash between Manchester City and Manchester United. Except the main attraction in 2022 is no longer Cristiano Ronaldo.
Instead, City striker Erling Haaland was the subject of most questions to Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag on Friday, with the prolific goalscorer getting an early opportunity to assert his authority on Manchester.
ALSO READ: Man City give injury updates on John Stones and Aymeric Laporte ahead of Manchester United fixture
With 14 goals in 10 outings for City so far, Haaland is doing better than the Blues would have ever expected after signing from Borussia Dortmund. He is undisputedly the main man at City, and appears to have fit in seamlessly to Pep Guardiola's system. No side has stopped him scoring or assisting for City yet since the start of the Premier League season.
Ten Hag appeared defiant on Friday, telling reporters: "I approach this by looking at ourselves. Manchester United, we want to win every game. The aim for Sunday is nothing else. We have to do our best and of course a good plan, and the execution.
"We don't play against Haaland, we play against Man City. We are convinced of our capabilities. If we act as a team then we can beat our opponents. That is the belief we need, and we need it even more Sunday."
However, he will know that stopping Haaland will be United's best route to victory at the Etihad. Even if they do that, United will have to find a way to keep the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden quiet, too, as Haaland's arrival has added a sprinkle of stardust to a team already packed with the world's best players.
Contrast Haaland's ascendancy to United and their world-class superstar, who arrived last summer with similar fanfare and scrutiny over his performances. Clearly, Ronaldo is at the opposite end of his career to Haaland and has nothing left to prove, but his struggles this season have been well-documented after trying to leave Old Trafford in the summer.
Ten Hag has done what previous United managers couldn't and put the team ahead of Ronaldo. The 37-year-old has started just one Premier League game this season - the 4-0 demolition at Brentford - and was a late substitute in United's win over Liverpool. Due to postponements and international games, United have played just twice in a month, with Ronaldo starting both in the Europa League.
There is every chance he returns to the bench against City, with Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and new signing Antony all in better form. It would be quite the comedown from last year's derby, where he was the biggest icon on the pitch at Old Trafford, although he was anonymous throughout as City eased to a dominant 2-0 win.
If Ronaldo watches on from the bench, he will likely see Haaland underline his credentials as the Premier League's best striker, and also its biggest superstar. As Ronaldo's career stumbles towards the end, Haaland's is only just beginning. Come Sunday evening, Manchester could have a new star.
READ NEXT:
